Vicente Fox Says Drug Legalization Should Be Considered
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who proposed decriminalizing drug possession while in office, says it's time to consider legalizing the supply as well:
Fox said strict controls and high taxes would be necessary under legalization. He said levels of drug use might remain the same but violence would be significantly reduced because the cartels would no longer control the supply. Families and schools should bear much of the responsibility to educate against drug use, he said.
"I am not yet convinced that that's the solution," he said. But he added, "Why not discuss it?"
In February another former Mexican president, Ernesto Zedillo, declared the war on drugs a failure and, together with former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and former Colombian President César Gaviria, called for a new approach emphasizing "public health" that might include "decriminalizing the possession of cannabis for personal use." Unlike Fox, they did not suggest full legalization. Yet any reforms that maintain the black market will not address the violence plaguing Mexico and other Latin American countries.
[Thanks to Tom Angell at LEAP for the tip.]